Parent tells Murphysboro school board her son was assaulted; asks for cameras and more monitoring

Kimberly Brooks, a parent, told the Murphysboro CUSD 186 Board of Education on Feb. 14 that her sixth-grade son was assaulted by four students after school on Jan. 11 and that the incident occurred in a locker room area with no staff present and no camera coverage.

"He was able to get into the locker room after school … there was no staff presence," Brooks said, adding there was no camera capable of recording in that space. She said the assault caused her son to miss the bus and that the episode has made him reluctant to attend school.

Brooks asked whether the district had a plan to address safety gaps, including installing cameras where there are coverage gaps, adding hallway monitors at locations without surveillance, and expanding anti-bullying and social-emotional learning programs. "Are you all interested or able to get additional monitors in your hallways? Specifically at that, the locations where there's no surveillance," she said.

District administrators responded that the district previously had full-time school resource officers at the middle and high schools but staffing shortages in the police department forced changes. The district said it has added about "16 or 18 cameras" to reduce gaps but noted cameras cannot be placed inside locker rooms where people change. Staff also said a staff member makes hourly monitoring rounds and that schedules and door-locking procedures were reviewed after the incident to try to prevent a recurrence.

District staff acknowledged limitations: cameras cannot be inside locker rooms, and after-school access points and multiple entrances complicate secure closure. They emphasized that students who engaged in the incident received disciplinary consequences and that school social workers and an expanding student advocate role are available as supports. "We had actually hired two for that position… but they were one left the community," a district speaker said explaining SRO staffing changes.

The board did not take immediate formal action at the meeting; staff said measures have been taken to change schedules and door procedures and to continue follow-up with the family. The board’s public comment section concluded with the chair thanking Brooks for bringing the concern forward.

Next steps: administration said it will continue to follow up with the parent and review security steps; no formal policy or equipment purchase was approved at the Feb. 14 meeting.